Following a staff member's rape charge, Heaven Nightclub's temporary closure has resulted in financial woes for G-A-Y Bar, leading owner Jeremy Joseph to announce its sale. Joseph expressed his concerns to the Westminster City Council's Licensing Committee regarding the risk to G-A-Y Bar due to Heaven's closure. He lamented the changing identity of Old Compton Street, noting that the LGBTQ+ community has diminished in the area, as evidenced by the loss of G-A-Y Late in 2023 and a perceived lack of support for LGBTQ+ venues.
I was clear to Westminster City Council's Licensing Committee that if they closed Heaven for even a short time it would potentially put G-A-Y Bar at risk financially.
It doesn't feel like anyone in power cares about hospitality and it definitely doesn't feel like they care about LGBT venues, Old Compton Street has lost its queer identity.
But it's not like that anymore and the reason I write this is because my goal would be for G-A-Y Bar to remain an LGBT venue and will consider franchise options, but my gut is that in the current climate, it won't be.
The street that was the LGBT capital is no more.
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